Notes from Ghana #18

Usually when we take the Youth group to Ghana, we pile into 2 or 3 vans to make our travels. With 35 in our party this time, that only worked some of the time. For the longer treks, our dear host, Kwasi, arranged for us to travel in the big bus My Goodness. (How he finagled this is a WHOLE other story, that deserves its own blog entry, as we were party to some of the transaction.) Mostly everyone had a seat, however 2 or 3 of us needed to sit on the plastic stools pulled from below the bus and placed in the aisles. We all took turns as it was a coveted spot for sure. Not something we would even consider here but when in Ghana….

I must say that travelling in a big air conditioned bus is not the experience of Ghana I wish for my students. However, there were certain practical pluses that I could appreciate once I was able to let go my romantic memories of grunge trips. For instance, we were all together which made for a more cohesive experience and easier communication. Plus our driver Kobla was able to navigate the ever increasing traffic and construction in Accra which is just hideous these days and can slow down travel by an hour or two easily. Literally, he just bullied his way through the jams. At one point, it got so bad that someone outside started banging on the bus window, at which point the youth broke out into a new war song from Atsiagbekor that they had been learning from Ledzi. A perfect response :)

Also, it was a real treat to see Kwasi’s face as we pulled into every destination with lights flashing and horns honking to announce the arrival of the Yevu . Driving into Dagbamete, with this big behemoth of a vehicle, past the Shrine on the so called road which is really just red sandy space between buildings was surreal for sure.

On our trip to Cape Coast we stopped for snacks at the Tema roundabout: bananas, cassava cookies, groundnuts (peanuts) and the ever popular plantain chips. Mostly purchased form the trays on heads of vendors. Once past Accra our driver Kobla said he needed to eat Fufu, so he stopped the bus and got out to order. I checked nearby and sure enough there was a spot that served minerals so everyone got down from the bus and ordered Fantas etc.

At one point, we stopped at a roadside pineapple stand and bought enough to make their day for sure. The woman used her machete to cut them all for us. Ripe, juicy, and dripping. Yum.

Speaking of fruit, someone dropped by the lodge one day with fresh coconut so some of the kids got to try the young coconut juice and pulp. Very refreshing!